Nuclear-free city 'victory'

SCIENTISTS in 'nuclear free' Manchester have claimed victory in a north-south battle to control nuclear research. A group of experts led by Manchester University will take charge of Britain's nuclear research labs, beating a rival bid from Imperial College London.

SCIENTISTS in 'nuclear free' Manchester have claimed victory in a north-south battle to control nuclear research.

A group of experts led by Manchester University will take charge of Britain's nuclear research labs, beating a rival bid from Imperial College London.

The move follows attempts by the government to put a private group in charge of the country's six research facilities. Manchester's consortium, which includes nuclear safety firms Serco and Battelle, has now been named as the government's preferred bidder.

The group will be responsible for maintaining the laboratories at Sellafield in Cumbria and Preston and facilities in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.

The Department for Energy said last year that the National Nuclear Laboratory sites would no longer be directly-run by the government.

The facilities are used by universities and private firms to research the next generation of power stations and the best way of disposing of radioactive waste.

Manchester University already carries out leading research into radiation and nuclear energy through its Dalton Nuclear Institute. The value of the three-year contract has not been disclosed.

But the decision was criticised by green groups, who said the award undermined Manchester's title as a `nuclear free' city.

Paul Waring, from Manchester Friends of the Earth, said: "The announcement is deeply concerning as it highlights the nuclear industry's continuing ambition to a programme of nuclear new-build.

"Work is certainly urgently required to decommission and make safe the UK's last few nuclear power-stations and clean up the deadly legacy of nuclear waste.

"However, this announcement highlights the continuing campaign by the nuclear industry to seduce central government into thinking the industry can create a new role for itself in tackling climate change."

Town hall leaders officially voted against nuclear weapons and energy in the 1980s and recently councillors opposed government plans to build further power plants.

But Prof Alan Gilbert, university president, said the city had a tradition of atomic research dating back to pioneers Dalton and Rutherford.

He said: "The university has a long tradition of being at the forefront of nuclear research, and we are delighted to be part of the consortium that has been named as recommended bidder.

"Working with our consortium partners, we are committed to ensuring it becomes a world-renowned centre of nuclear science and technology."